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Play Description:
This 30 minute musical play can be done as a complete play, skits,
read-aloud, or you can just sing songs. No music or drama experience
needed. Grades 3-8.
"What America needs is some history catchy enough to hum along with."
---George Washington
Hosted by George and Martha Washington, our musical review of early American
history covers the period from before the arrival of the Europeans through the signing
of the Bill of Rights . This is the show that will have your kids eating American History
for breakfast. Maybe even lunch. Everyone seems to show up, from Leif Erickson, the
Iroquois, and Ponce de Leon to Ben Franklin, Sibyl Luddington and The 13 Colony
Singers. Keeping all the characters in line are the History Police, crashing the party
whenever it looks like the shows has started to "mess around with
history."
13 Colonies is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary
school history.
Teacher Reviews:
"I liked the music, humor, and social studies
standards the play contained. I loved
that a musical dummy like me could put it on. The songs were great---I still sing
them all the time. When students actively participate in a lesson, they are more
likely to remember it."
---Amanda Dedmond, Teacher (5th grade), Cynthia Heights
Elementary,
Evansville, IN
Read More
Teacher Reviews
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National Education Standards:
Fulfills National Arts
Standard 3 for Dance, 1 and 8 for Music, and 2, 3, and
5 for Theater.
Fulfills National History Standard 3
for K-4, Standards 1 and 3 for 5-12, and
2 and 3 for 5-12.
Fulfills National Social Studies
Standard 6. |
Casting:
Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Vikings, Soldiers, Colonists, etc. as desired.
One student can easily play several roles if needed. Note that
roles are not gender specific: George Washington can easily
be played by a girl, for example, and we recommend that the
part of the Game Show Host be played by a girl as well;see
our comments on page 32 of the Teacher's Guide.
Read the Script:
This
is the first one-third of the script:
CHARACTERS:
George Washington
Martha Washington
Leif Erickson (and Vikings)
Iroquois
Seminole
Ponce de Leon (and Soldiers)
Colonial Boy and Girl
Game Show Host
Contestant (Betsy Smith)
Benjamin Franklin
British Soldiers
Samuel Adams, John Adams, Abigail Adams
Salesman
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Sibyl Ludington
Colonists
James Madison
History Police (A and B)
and a Chorus made up of all students who are not playing
roles at the time.
(GEORGE and MARTHA WASHINGTON enter)
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Hello, my name is George Washington.
MARTHA: And I'm Martha Washington. George and I are here to tell
you the marvelous story of how our country began. It's a story filled with
excitement and drama...
GEORGE (interrupts): ...dreams of gold, the clash of nations...
MARTHA: ...and best of all, we get to play the staring roles. Oh George,
I never get tired of this. The bright lights! The photographers! It just makes
me want to salute something!
(LEIF ERICKSON enters loudly. He's accompanied by two other Vikings,
carrying footballs)
LEIF: I, Leif Erickson, claim this land for me and all the Vikings.
GEORGE: Excuse me, but we're starting a show here.
LEIF: I know. I visited America nearly 1000 years ago. I want some
credit for being part of the thirteen colonies. I was here first.
GEORGE: No you weren't.
LEIF: I wasn't?
MARTHA: Not at all. Native Americans were here hundreds of years
before you arrived. Isn't that right, George?
(GEORGE nods)
LEIF: Oh. Sorry. Come on, men. Back to Minnesota.
(THEY exit)
GEORGE: In fact, let's take a visit to the eastern seaboard in the 16th
century and see what's going on with the local tribes.
(IROQUOIS enter)
MARTHA: Here come some Iroquois-and George, they don't look happy.
Song 1
IROQUOIS:
We've lived on this land
For hundreds of years
There's no place that we haven't been
But something is new
The neighborhood's changed
The Europeans are moving in.
They unload their ships
They back in their vans
They're putting our lives in a spin
We give them some corn
They give us the mumps
The Europeans are moving in.
The isle of Manhattan we sold to the Dutch
And people say it was a steal
But have you all seen what they've done to the place?
We got us a heck of a deal!
They're shaking our hands
And taking our lands
Our patience is now wearing thin
You never can tell
But it doesn't bode well
The Europeans are moving in.
The Spanish are searching the South for some gold
We don't think that they're gonna stop
The French in the North want the timber and furs
The New World's a great place to shop!
IROQUOIS and CHORUS:
We've lived on this land
For hundreds of years
There's no place that we haven't been
But something is new
The neighborhood's changed
The Europeans are moving in.
The Europeans are moving in and in and in and in.
(THEY exit)
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Let's move south to Florida to get a closer
look at some of those new European explorers.
MARTHA: I see a Seminole coming our way. Isn't it exciting?
SEMINOLE (enters through audience with a tray filled with maps slung
around his neck. Shouting): Programs, get your programs here! Charts
of hidden treasures! Guides to the Everglades, right here! Directions to
cities built of gold, maps to the houses of the stars! Programs, get your
programs!
(PONCE DE LEON enters with SOLDIERS. THEY ALL carry cups and
jugs of water)
PONCE DE LEON (to Chart-seller): Hey, you! Wait! I am Ponce de Leon,
famous Spanish explorer.
SEMINOLE: Welcome. Wanna buy a map to a city paved with diamonds
and rubies?
PONCE DE LEON: Do you think I'm some dumb tourist? Get real. (pause)
Though, I was wondering-you don't happen to have any maps to the fountain
of youth, do you?
SEMINOLE: Those are very hard to come by. Let me look.
(rummages through maps)
Ah, you're in luck! I have one left.
PONCE DE LEON: You do?! I'll take it!
SEMINOLE: That'll be a pound of gold.
PONCE DE LEON (to his SOLDIERS):
Well, don't just stand there, pay the man.
(THEY do, as HE unfolds map)
At last! This has been a very difficult journey.
Song 2
PONCE DE LEON :
Some people want adventure
While others look for gold
But me-I want some water
To make me young once more.
(SOLDIER offers him a cup of water)
I drink from every fountain
Though I don't have a thirst
And ev'ry stream and river
I think I'm gonna burst.
(He grabs cup from SOLDIER)
Is that something from a swamp?
I'll try it!
(lifts up cup)
Here's to my new liquid diet!
(takes a drink)
Are my wrinkles disappearing?
Is my grey beard turning black?
Tell me boys, I must know the truth
Am I younger? Am I taller?
Has my bald spot gone away?
Have we found the fountain of youth?
(THEY examine PONCE closely)
PONCE and SOLDIERS:
I drink from every fountain
Though I don't have a thirst
And ev'ry stream and river
I think I'm gonna burst.
(THEY ALL grab cups)
Is that something from a swamp?
I'll try it!
(lift up cups)
Here's to our new liquid diet!
(take a drink)
PONCE, SOLDIERS, and CHORUS:
Are my wrinkles disappearing?
Is my grey beard turning black?
Tell me boys, I must know the truth
Am I younger? Am I taller?
Has my bald spot gone away?
Have we found the fountain of youth
The fountain of youth
The fountain of youth?
(PONCE, SOLDIERS, and GEORGE WASHINGTON exit)
MARTHA WASHINGTON: Good evening, again. My husband George
got a splinter from his wooden dentures and he's having his gums massaged.
Isn't that remarkable? Now, where are we? Oh yes...The 1600s brought the
British to America. You know what that means: Jamestown. John Smith.
Pocahontas. You know the story. You've seen the movie. You've bought
the product tie-ins.
(pause)
Life was tough on the first pioneers as they pushed out on the frontiers.
Let's get up-close-and-personal with a young boy and girl.
(BOY and GIRL enter)
Welcome, pioneer boy and girl. Tell me, what's your life like?
(MARTHA sits down and watches them
during their song)
Song 3
BOY :
Out of bed but I'm still asleep
Cut potatoes to feed the sheep
Got no shoes but I'm out the door
Bring in wood then I'm gone once more.
Sunrise to sunset
Gotta work all day
Sunrise to sunset
Not much time for play.
GIRL:
Lots to do, there's no time for school
Picking berries and spinning wool.
Feed the hens and learn how to sew
Weed the garden so our veggies grow.
Sunrise to sunset
Gotta work all day
Sunrise to sunset
Not much time for play.
(during musical pause, BOY and GIRL take up new tasks)
BOY:
Gone all day as I tend the herds
I just talk to the trees and birds.
(This concludes the first one- third of the
script.)
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marvelous
eastern seaboard
mumps
bode
the Everglades
dentures
premise
mahogany
enforce
maxim
chat
quiche
adieu
chapeau
soufflé
family tree
crumpet
tyranny
fling
dramatic license
hemisphere
veneer
|
et cetera
nuisance
behalf
resolution
Historical
Terms
Vikings
Manhattan
New
World
Jamestown
John
Smith
Pocahontas
pioneers
religious toleration
Quaker
William Penn
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Franklin stove
postmaster
fur trade
parliament |
“No
taxation without representation.”
Paul Revere
militia
King George
“Common Sense”
Thomas Paine
Valley
Forge
Nathan
Hale
Benedict Arnold
Betsy Ross
Lafayette
Bill of
Rights
amendment
Vocabulary
From Stage Directions
rummages
various
intervals |
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Song
List:
To hear a Real Audio song sample, click on
the titles that are underlined. To hear
the same samples with Windows Media Player, click on "Windows Media" near
the name of the song. Please note that internet song samples have very low
fidelity and rest assured that the CDs we sell sound much better. Problems
hearing the music? Visit our Audio Help page.
More Teacher Reviews:
"When my class did 13 Colonies this
year, we had more fun that I've ever had with a
class during my 22 years of teaching!"
---Kimberly Fee, Teacher (5th grade) Summit Charter,
Porterville, CA
"13 Colonies was a first for
me---a musical, that is. I was hooked after reading the
script and listening to the CD. The tunes are catchy and the humor mature but
appropriate. The word play was great and the adults in the audience never stopped
laughing! The instructions and hints in the manual are terrific. We pulled off a
spectacular show in four weeks."
---Diane Smith, Teacher (5th grade), Cascade Brook
School, Farmington, ME
"Lots of history really fast.
Got kids thinking about history in a different way. As the
music teacher, I can tie in what I am teaching with what the students are learning in
class. Great stuff. I'm glad I found you."
---Heather-Lynne Shannon, Teacher (music 1-6th),
Montessori School of Florence, Florence, SC
"The easy-to-follow script,
catchy songs, and added humor make the play production
a delight for all (students, teachers, and parents! Besides using the plays to give
my
students another avenue to strengthen/inspire their creativity, the plays work well as
supplemental textbooks/teaching aids. The students love to learn the information in
the play format.
---Lisa Boothe, Teacher, (3rd/5th grade), Carl Hankey
School, Mission Viejo, CA
"Easy! Fun! User friendly! It had wonderful humor and catchy lyrics, and
was easy
to learn. The benefits was maximum learning; all the students were
engaged."
---Shirley Jacobs, Teacher, (5th grade), Irving
Elementary, Bloomington, IL
"I see your display every year at the CAG (California Association for the Gifted and
Talented) conference. Last year I finally bought the 13 Colonies. It took me
until this
year to get brave enough to actually try doing it with my class. I was a nervous
wreck.
I want to tell you that it turned out better than I ever imagined. The kids were
wonderful and learned so much history by doing this play. The parents raved about
the performance. I'd like to thank you so much for making my debut as a director a
success. You have me hooked!"
---Celeste Bordner, Teacher, (5th grade), Valley
Springs, CA
"It was fabulous! Not only was
the show funny and entertaining but my class learned a
lot about history. My principal was very impressed! I hated doing plays before and now
I can't wait until next year!"
---Jennifer Baker, Teacher (4th grade), PS 184, New
York, NY
"I loved it. It was a huge
success."
---Janet Coppess, Teacher (4th/5th grade), Oakbrook
Elementary, Lakewood, WA
Buy The Show
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Are Two of You Planning to Put
the Play on Together?
If you ask us, we always suggest having just one class put on a play. We
think each kid is
more involved, and we think it's easier for you to deal with a smaller number of students.
But lots of teachers disagree with us.
They've been happily doing the
plays together for years.
In fact, Amy Anderson, the teacher who does four musicals a year
(and she talks about this on our home page) thinks two classes
together is the way to go.
Then what do I need to purchase? Think
of a musical play like a library book.
Only one teacher may "check out" (i.e. put on) the play at a time. If another
teacher wants
to produce the music play that you purchased in a separate production and at a
later date,
you may loan out your original plan and student copies.
Your "library" needs two copies of the play for two teachers to
put on the play at the
same time. If a teacher wants her class to put on the play with your class,
she needs
to buy her own copy of the play. For three or more teachers to produce a play together,
purchase three copies for your "library" and Bad Wolf extends a Site License for all the
teachers and classes at your school.
But why can't I just make extra copies
of the play? If copies are made for
a class other than the purchasing teacher's, it's an infringement of U.S.
copyright law.
Yikes! Bad Wolf likes to toe the line where Uncle Sam is concerned, so we offer a
discount on the purchase of multiple copies of the play.
If you are 2 teachers putting on the
play together................................$60
* Includes 2 copies of the book and CD (save
almost $20 off of buying
them separately) so each of you has a CD and
book to work with.
* Free bonus: We'll throw in our famed
"Earthworms on Parade" CD. Y'know,
that's the one with the six goofiest songs
about earthworms ever written
($9.95 value.)
* Includes the right to reproduce the
script for the students in both of
your individual classes.
Questions?
Call or email Ron Fink at (888) 827-8661
or ron@badwolfpress.com
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